It Started in April
by Daripants
Summary: Adrien was just trying to have a normal day at work. Help customers with their purchases and generally not burn the place down. But what she didn't expect was to meet one of her favorite wrestlers! First fanfiction of my own, let me know what you think! Rating is for language.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Hey guys! I've been a long-time reader here, and this is my first attempt at writing something of my own. The idea popped into my head the other day and I was compelled to write it out! I'm not sure if I'll continue this as a multi-chapter, so let me know what you think. Though I'm open to requests. Hope you enjoy!**

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"It Started in April"

If one were to take a look at the streets of New York City this morning, they'd likely see three things: a Starbucks on almost every corner, piles of garbage for pickup day, and tourist blocking the sidewalks. While this is considered mildly annoying by most New Yorkers, Adrien Rivera is being driven up a fucking wall. Anyone paying attention could see that she was in a rush by the way she was desperately trying to maneuver around the hoards of people in front of her. However, after the third failed attempt, she yelled "Excuse me!" leaving the poor unsuspecting families no choice but to jump out of the way as she sprinted past them. Those close enough could hear her muttering, "Fucking shitsnacks...gonna be late!"

Adrien fought to catch her breath as she rushed up to her job. Her roommate had accidentally taken the keys to the shop this morning and she'd had to haul ass to go get them. And of course her train ended up being delayed, leaving her no other option except running the rest of the way there. She had just been promoted to keyholder at Barney's Sandals for the summer and she was already fucking up. While her boss was super chill, Adrien had to do well if she wanted to be kept for the off-season. No pressure. At the very least her customers were cool. She enjoyed watching the frat boys get ready for beach season, helping the little kids try on sandals for the first time, and of course there was the occasional celebrity walking in too.

Shuffling over to the lock that raises the gate, Adrien realized there was someone sitting under the tree in front of the store. 'Shit. Probably waiting to come in. Please be cool.' She tried not to look at him as she rushed over to the door in case he was one of the irritable types. Unlocking the door, she called over her shoulder, "Sorry sir! Give me just a couple of minutes to set up and you can come in, okay?" If he said anything, Adrien didn't hear it as she closed the door behind her. She rushed around the store flicking on lights and monitors, pulling off her hat and outer shirt as she went. 'It's too hot for these anyway,' she thought as she fed the goldfish behind the register.

Once the inside was ready, Adrien grabbed a broom and headed to the front door. Propping the door open, she offered the man a smile and let him know the shop was ready for business. He just looked at her for a few seconds and nodded as he finally got up and went inside. 'Well that wasn't weird.' Adrien thought as she swept outside the shop. She hoped he wasn't angry for the late opening. Angry or upset customers were less likely to come back. Definitely not good for business.

"Positive thoughts girl. It's just one guy." she mumbled to herself. Adrien glanced inside to see if the man needed help and she caught him as he was looking away from her. Was he looking at her tshirt? She couldn't be sure as he was still wearing sunglasses. "I guess he's not a wrestling fan." She smiled to herself as she checked her work one last time and went inside. The man was still browsing and didn't look to be in any rush. Deciding to give him another minute before seeing if he needed help, Adrien pulled up her email. Summerslam wasn't coming up for another couple of months, but she just wanted to look at her tickets again. It was her first pay-per-view and she couldn't wait! She had been to a few house shows, but there's nothing quite like seeing her favorite wrestlers in a pay-per-view setting.

"Hey. I actually have a question about your sandals. Think you can help me out?" Adrien was startled out of her thoughts by the man finally speaking. "Of course! One second please," she said closing her email. She was straightening out her Dean Ambrose tshirt, when she froze, eyes widening slightly. Wait a damn minute. She knew that voice anywhere. But it couldn't possibly be him. Not in her shop. Adrien heard him removing the sunglasses and she took a deep breath. Closing her eyes, she let out the breath slowly as she turned around. When she opened her eyes she was standing face to face with Seth Rollins.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Hey guys! As you can already tell, I've decided to keep going with this. Hope you enjoy. **

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Chapter 2

Adrien stood there speechless for what felt like hours. The WWE World Heavyweight Champion was standing less than five feet in front of her. Taking in the sight of him, Adrien decided that television didn't do Seth Rollins any justice. While he certainly wasn't the largest guy on the roster, Seth's six-foot-one frame would easily tower over her own. His muscles were proudly on display in his uniform of skinny jeans and t-shirt. His smile was perfectly boyish and the one aimed at her was making her heart fall into her butt. Adrien could see his hair was pulled up into a bun, the blond almost invisible at this point. It made her a little sad he was growing it out, but she knew the damage done made it a necessary evil. All in all, Seth Rollins was one impressive display of a man. But Adrien knew the rules. Unless they asked for help, celebrities were not to be bothered under any circumstances. She put on a smile and prepared to go through her routine.

However, Seth was speaking before she could even open her mouth. "So, uh, are you always this articulate?" Adrien couldn't stop herself. She blurted out "Dude, did you just quote Disney at me?" His smile turned into a full-blown smirk, and Adrien wanted nothing more than to crawl in a hole and die. "Oh for fuck's sake! Get it together woman." she admonished herself. If she could ignore what just happened, maybe she could salvage what was left of her dignity. "I'm sorry sir. That was rude. What was your question?" Seth chuckled and touched one of the sandals on a nearby shelf. "I actually don't have one. To be honest I wasn't even going to come in here in the first place. I was just waiting for some people I was meeting up with, but you ran up like a bat out of hell apologizing for being late. I felt bad so I figured I could at least pop in and chat." Adrien was floored. She had managed to make an ass of herself in more ways than one today and didn't even realize it. And in front of her favorite wrestler no less! She cleared her throat. "Well, uh, thanks for that." she said sounding more confident than she felt. "Don't worry about it." he said, his lip twitching into a half smile.

Sensing an awkward pause coming, Seth gestured to her shirt. "You a wrestling fan?" he asked. Adrien glanced down at it. A huge grin broke out on her face as she nodded. "Been watching since I was four years old. Nothing says Father-Daughter bonding like watching Stone Cold hand out Stunners like they're free candy." Seth laughed loudly at that and Adrien couldn't help but puff out her chest a little with pride. "So I guess it's safe to say that you know who I am huh?" Seth asked as he took a seat on one of the benches. Adrien paused, considering if she should continue with this part of the conversation. He was still here talking to her after all. And it wasn't as if he didn't already know that she knew who he was. There was no use denying it at this point. "I don't think I'd have the right to call myself a fan if I didn't recognize my champ when I'm looking him right in the face Mr. Rollins. I'm Adrien by the way." she said sticking out her hand for him to shake. "Fair enough." he said accepting her hand. "Though judging from your shirt, I take it you're more of a Dean Ambrose girl?" Adrien thought about it for a few seconds and sat next to Seth. She smirked to herself. "You could say that. Though, if I'm honest, you guys sort of vie for my attention in my head." she said watching him from the corner of her eye.

Seth's eyebrows raised as he breathed out a low "Ohh. I see." He leaned down to Adrien's ear and whispered playfully, "Well who's winning right now?" Internally, she was screaming. But Adrien refused to let him see that he affected her so easily. It was a matter of pride damn it! Giving a small cough, she patted his head and got up to lean on some shelves. "Yeah the jury's still out on that. But where are your friends? Not that I mind your company of course, but they've got you waiting for a while." The look on Seth's face said he knew she was trying to change the subject. But he went along with it. "They'll be here soon. You're free to take care of someone else while I wait." he said motioning to the empty shop. Adrien's held back a laugh. "Ha, ha. Laugh it up smartass. It's still early on a Saturday morning. If you stick around you'll get to watch me break two grand in two hours." Seth snorted. "That's a little ambitious don't you think? I mean no disrespect, but it's kind of dead in here."

Adrien clutched her heart in mock horror. "Sir, you wound me! You doubt my abilities that much? If you're that confident in my failure, how about we make it interesting?" she proposed. "What, like a bet?" Seth asked as he got up and walked toward her. "That's right." she said crossing her arms. "And if I win...you have to be a Rosebud on the next episode of Raw." Seth scoffed at her incredulously. "Kind of short notice don't you think?" he asked stepping closer. Adrien nodded. "A little. But I'm not going to win, remember? So it shouldn't be too much of an issue. And if I did win I'm sure you can make it happen." she said stepping closer. "After all, Trips would never say no to his baby Seth if it meant doing what's 'best for business.'" she tried not to laugh.

Seth looked thoughtful for a few seconds and then leaned down so they were eye to eye. "Fine." he said quietly. "But if I win, I get to take you out to dinner next time I'm in town." Adrien's breath caught in her throat. Never in a million years would she have imagined being in this situation. Yet here she was, looking Seth Rollins in his beautiful brown eyes. "Deal." she said quietly, glancing at his lips. "Just know that I don't like to lose. No matter how tempting it may be." Before either of them could speak, the door opened making the wind chimes jingle. Adrien's eyes didn't leave Seth's, but she could see two people coming in through her peripheral.

"I'm sorry. Are we interrupting something?"

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**I just want to give a big thank you to everyone who's read and/or reviewed this so far. A special shoutout is due to Willow Edmond! Thank you for the advice, I really appreciate it. If you haven't read any of her stuff go do it now, it's amazeballs! Anyway, I feel like this is going to be a nice long-term project for me as I plan to incorporate TV storyline with my own. So please bear with me on this. **

**One last thing before I go: While I will be spending a lot of time on this, I'll still have a crap ton of free time outside of my reading challenge. So, if anyone is interested, I'm open to one-shot/drabble requests! Let me know, and we can work something out. **

**Now that business is all taken care of, it's time for me to crash.**

**Later lovelies! **

**-Dari**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: Thanks to those who've read and/or reviewed so far! I really appreciate it. Enjoy!**

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Chapter 3

Forgetting all about Seth for a moment, Adrien turned to face the two men who just walked in the door. "Okay, don't take this the wrong way. But is there something in the fucking water that's bringing you people to my job today? Because that can be the only explanation for why Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, and Roman Reigns are all in front of me right now!" Dean and Roman's eyebrows rose in surprise but they both gave hearty laughs at her reaction. They stepped further into the shop and Dean spoke to Seth over Adrien's head. "Quite the introduction eh, Rollins? Nice shirt by the way." He winked at her as he sat on the couch. Seth chuckled as he decided to use Adrien as a leaning post. She ignored it as she mumbled out an apology. The boys couldn't hear everything she said after that, but they did make out something about "a defective filter since I was born" and "professional front completely gone." Roman shook his head as he offered his hand. "Don't worry about it sweetheart, no harm done. Didn't quite catch your name though."

"It's Adrien." she said, shaking his hand. "And to answer Dean's original question: No you weren't interrupting anything. I was just letting Seth know that while he may or may not win at Payback, good luck to all of you by the way, he's definitely not going to win our bet." Seth squawked in disbelief. At the same time he spouted off about there being "no way" he'd lose, Dean exclaimed loudly, "See now you have my attention Shortcake! What's this about a bet?" She and Seth glared at each other before going into detail about the bet and what led up to it. By the end, both Roman and Dean were trying to hold back giggles at the idea of Seth running around as a Rosebud on national television. Would he be the hotdog? Or a fairy princess? Maybe he'd be the new Bunny! The possibilities were endless. They were pulled from their day dream, or nightmare in Seth's case, when Adrien spoke up.

"By the way. Can you guys try to actually take out Orton before you tear each other to shreds Sunday?" Dean eyed her curiously. "You really don't pull any punches do you?" Adrien blushed as she moved to the register to set up bags for the rush. "I was raised to mean what I say and say what I mean. I guess that's just a product of growing up where I did. Some take it as being rude or too blunt, but nobody ever got anywhere by walking around on eggshells, right?" The guys nodded. They could all agree with that kind of mentality. It was the same one they had when they made it into WWE, the same one that pretty much got them to where they are now. Roman was the first to break the silence when he cleared his throat. "So do you need us to clear out or something? I guess for the sake of fairness or if your customers recognize us?" Adrien thought about it for a few minutes before she answered. "I think it should be okay. It's not totally uncommon for celebrities to pop in here every now and again, and the customers usually respect their space. If you put your shades on and act inconspicuous they should leave you alone. That and I need you here to bear witness to this sweet sweet victory." They all stared at her in silence until Dean spoke. "Pretty confident there aren't you Shortcake? What makes you think you won't be sitting across a candlelit table from Storm over here?" Adrien looked up from the register. "Because I'm very good at what I do." she explained with a smirk.

Almost as soon as she got the boys into incognito mode, the shop was full to bursting with people. At Adrien's request, they could only watch as she basically danced through the shop. Somehow she managed to find a balance between grabbing sandals to exchange for some customers, convincing others that, yes they indeed had the right size, and handing out stickers with the shop logo to the kids ogling the goldfish behind the counter. The only time Seth saw Adrien falter was when she was faced with that one difficult customer. The man had insisted on telling her how incompetent she was over some arbitrary reason. When he was unable to bully her into getting his way, he stormed out threatening to call corporate. For a brief second, Seth could see a fire burning in Adrien's eyes as her jaw clenched in anger. But it was gone just as quickly as it came. She walked by them and gave his hand a squeeze as she went back to making sales.

After the last customer left, Adrien turned to the guys. "Okay. Ready to see who wins?" she asked as she pulled up the numbers. They all grunted their confirmation and straightened in anticipation. Dean and Roman gave a faux drum roll. Looking at the screen, Adrien's smile turned into a confused look. "So, I have no idea how to call this guys. I made $1999.99 in two hours. Mind you, I still have the rest of the day whenever you guys decide to leave. So I guess I'll make the executive decision and say I win. Get ready to dance Rosebud!" she said, grinning smugly at Seth at the last part. He jumped up from the couch in protest. "No, no, no! You said two grand! You're a penny short, therefore you lose!" They went back and forth for a few minutes before Roman got their attention. "Honestly Seth just give it to her. It's a damn penny and she'll get more soon enough. Just take the loss bro." Seth sputtered in outrage. The very idea of him taking a loss when he had so clearly won was unacceptable! He was about to tell Roman as much when Dean decided to stick his two cents in. "I say they both win!" When everyone turned to look at him, he continued. "I mean like Ro said, it's a fuckin penny. And Seth, you know you were gonna take her out anyway. So cut the crap and stop being a jackass." His words of wisdom shared, Dean put his feet up on the ottoman and continued cracking his gum.

Adrien and Seth avoided eye contact for a bit. After some grumbling and a small scuffle that almost ended with Seth in a Kimura Lock, they finally agreed to call it a draw. Dean thought it was hilarious. "Dude, the little spitfire's like half your height! How'd you let it get that far?! Haha!" Roman cuffed him on the back of the head though he had on a smile of his own. "Ignore the ignoramous. Dean's entertained by the smallest things, no pun intended. Seth we have to start heading out. See you in a bit. Nice meeting you Adrien!" he said. He walked out the door, a sulking Dean giving a goodbye salute of his own as he followed, and it was just her and Seth again. Adrien smiled at Seth as she finished waving goodbye. "They're nice guys. But I guess you knew that after spending more than four years with them." Seth grinned as he nodded. "They really are like an extra set of brothers."

It was about time for him to start leaving and Adrien didn't want it to end. This was the most fun she'd had in a really long time. Pulling out one the store cards, she wrote down her cell number and Skype info on the back and handed it to Seth. "I know it's dumb or whatever, but I thought we could keep in touch. Maybe be friends, you know?" she said crossing her arms nervously. His lips quirked into a half smile and he shocked the ever living hell out of Adrien by pulling her into a hug. "I play an asshole for a living, but I'm a man of my word." he said. After a moment he stepped back a bit and held her by the shoulders. "When the boys and I come back, I'll take you to dinner as promised. And we'll keep in touch until then, okay?" Once Adrien gave a speechless nod, Seth gave her shoulder a last squeeze and raised his hand in farewell as he left the shop.

For a long time after Seth left, Adrien kept replaying the day in her head. As she helped the last customers of the day, she remembered how he smiled at her. As she locked up, she thought about how he looked under the tree. And as she waited for the train, all she could think about was how he felt when he hugged her. Walking up to her apartment, Adrien had to admit this had to be the most bizarre day of her life. Even if she wanted to tell anyone about what happened, who would believe it? She could barely believe it herself. When she opened the door, she was greeted by an almost empty home aside from her cat. "Hey Stitch! Were you a good boy today?" she asked as she stepped inside. All thoughts of the day were put on the back burner as Adrien went through her nightly routine, a tubby gingery Stitch following her the whole time.

Once she was settled in her bed for the night, Adrien's thoughts drifted to the events of the day once more. 'Who would have ever thought the Shield boys would end up being friends with me?' she thought. She had just started to drift off when she felt her phone vibrate. Adrien kept her eyes closed as she felt around for it, trying to cling to the sleep. Once she grabbed the phone, she opened her eyes and squinted at the too bright screen. She'd gotten a text from an unfamiliar number.

_You're actually kind of cute you know_.

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**Note: Sorry for the late update guys! I went to a Ronda Rousey book signing here in the city, and didn't get to transcribing til late. But I do have every intention of updating regularly! I promise.**

**But it's time for me to go. I have work in a couple of hours, and that's where I get most of my writing done. Yay!**

**Later lovelies!**

**-Dari**


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